About 61.1% of expenditures approved by ACC trustees July 6 will go to district salaries and benefits, totaling about $254.3 million, according to district documents. ACC’s budget, however, does not include pay raises for employees for the coming fiscal year, but does include a noncompensated step increase for all full-time faculty to reflect the year of experience earned.
Neil Vickers, ACC executive vice president of finance and administration, said the coronavirus pandemic, enrollment and other factors could impact revenue. He said administration plans to have an additional budget discussion in the fall to review revenue projections and potentially amend the budget to include salary increases of about 1.5% for employees once revenue is more certain.
“While [the budget] does not include a raise, it recognizes that it’s more of a deferral of that decision,” Vickers said. “We’re not deciding not to give a raise, we’re just recognizing that we currently are not in the position to make that decision.”
Other than compensation, the budget includes an estimated $59.9 million in operating costs, $22.4 million for new equipment and technology upgrades and $73.7 million for debt services.
The total operating budget is about $11.63 million higher than the year prior’s, which was approved for $404.48 million in expenditures last summer, according to district documents.